Synthetic turf continues to gain popularity, as an athletic field surface for professional teams, college teams, high school teams, and even public parks. Current types of athletic turf simulate natural grass very well, while eliminating the typical costs associated with maintaining a natural turf, such as watering, mowing, fertilizing, and even replacing the worn turf when bare spots occur.
There are any number of reasons why a synthetic turf may need to be replaced, including decreased playability, loss of aesthetic appeal, warranty expiration, or perhaps even safety concerns. Regardless of the one or more reasons that may apply to any specific synthetic turf, there comes a time when the synthetic turf must be removed from the site, and in all likelihood, another synthetic turf put down in its place.
Owners of synthetic fields have become accustomed to virtual round-the-clock use of their synthetic turf athletic fields. For this and other reasons, it is important that the removal of an existing synthetic turf, and its replacement with a new synthetic turf, occur as efficiently as possible. Also, the components of a removed synthetic turf are often reused or recycled for other purposes. Therefore, it is also desirable to remove a synthetic field in a manner that readily facilitates such reuse or recycling.
One conventional process for removing synthetic turf has typically involved using a bobcat with claw attachments to simply rip and tear through the seams of the existing turf, to literally eat through the field so that it can be stripped from the site. In such instances, it is difficult or time consuming to reuse or recycle the ripped out turf. Also, the use of a bobcat in this manner, to tear out an existing synthetic turf, will inevitably disrupt the carefully compacted and leveled subsurface that resides beneath the synthetic turf. In such instances where the subsurface is disrupted, the subsurface will need to be reconstructed prior to the placement of a new synthetic turf on the same site. This replacement or reconstruction of the subsurface adds to the time and costs associated with installing a new synthetic turf.
Most infilled synthetic turfs use an infill of sand, rubber, or a combination of sand and rubber. The particulate nature of such infill materials, and the weight thereof, can lead to complications in removing the synthetic turf. Moreover, the particulate infill is valuable, and may have a useful lifetime that is longer than the useful lifetime of the synthetic turf fibers.
Others have tried different methods or devices for removing a synthetic turf from a site. For instance, a product called TurfMuncher, apparently being commercialized by a company called Field Away, is shown and described at www.fieldaway.com. Another existing device is referred to as the CarpetEater, and can be found at www.carlrennen.nl. The device shown at this site seems to be the subject of EP 2 387 875, entitled “Infill Removal Device For Removing Infill From A Strip Of Artificial Turf.”
The state of the art can further be understood via the following patent references: 1) U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0001115, entitled “Apparatus And Method For Handling an Artificial Turf Arranged On A Base;” 2) U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0006930, entitled “Artificial Turf Remover And Infill Separator, And Method Of Use Thereof;” 2) U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0319510, entitled “Apparatus For Colleting Artificial Turf For Recycling;” 4) WO2010/094576, entitled “Recycling Of Artificial Turf;” and 5) Japanese Patent Publication No. JP200000831482. The above-referenced U.S. '510 publication provides a good general description of some of the practical problems associated with removing a synthetic turf.
For one reason or another, the state of the art has not yet adequately addressed the practical concerns associated with removing an infilled synthetic turf and installing a new turf.